The man behind Chatsalira

Not long ago, Moni carried an interesting cartoon, Chatsalira.

The cartoon was such a household name in the defunct magazine that it drove its popularity.

But not many remember the hands behind the art.

He may be deaf and dumb, but that is not enough to prevent him from achieving success in the arts. That is the story of Pamuyu Green Mbale.

“I have been in this art business for over 30 years. I started drawing around 1980 after being taught the basics of drawing cartoons by the late Brian Hara between 1975 to 1979. He is my source of inspiration for all this talent. Hara spent much of his time to teach me how to draw when I was only 15 years,” Mbale told Chill.

He added: “Note that I got this skill for free from the late Hara who, at that time, was staying with his elder brother who was the headmaster at my school; Mary View School for the Deaf. He just had a passion to assist me to which I am forever grateful.”

After amassing the skills, Mbale found himself walking in the footsteps of his mentor, Hara when he was employed by Montfort Press as an artist with Richard Mwale after Mary View School for the Deaf director, the late Brother Hortenisus, spotted his skill.

“I drew that cartoon for 20 years with until I quit in 2003 for further studies,” says Mbale, who then enrolled at New Horizon Centre in Lilongwe where he got a certificate in Graphic Designing.

“After resigning from Montfort Press, I started drawing cartoons before I enrolled at New Horizons in 2005 since I wanted to adapt to new technologies in graphics,” said Mbale.

He went back into freelance cartoon drawing until 2010 when a friend helped him register his company, Green Creations. Mbale’s company specialises in drawings, cartoons, illustrations and house or town plans including drawing samples for buildings.

His company also engages in graphic animation and also designing reports covers, calendars, books and adverts.

“I have been doing business with corporate institutions such as Teveta, PAC, National Library Services, and Jica apart from small ones where a person would want me to draw a painting of their faces, designing logos, and being subcontracted by firms having a tender to supply drawings,” he said.

Currently, Mbale is into animation, an area that gives him hope of a turn around.

Said the artist: “I want the public to know that I am very well conversant with animation production. I use sign language and I am conversant in English, Chichewa and use high stress simple language in communicating.

“There is a project we are trying to work on with one TV/Radio production house in Lilongwe called AFT Communications. These are media consultants specialising in mass communication and if what we are doing takes-off, it will change to my life.”

Quizzed on how he conducts business with his inability to speak and hear, Mbale downplayed his disability: “It is easy because we discuss with my customers through emails, writings, SMS and more importantly through my interpreter.”

He said the major success story of his business lies in the ability to secure more customers, adding that he is always a happy man as he easily fends for himself when it comes to basic necessities.

While in other countries, art is a rewarding enterprise, there are challenges that artists in Malawi face. Mbale, who works at home, is not spared.

“It is pleasing to note that the trade is really changing with the introduction of new software on the market which is making it a bit easily to draw although the challenge still exists: that of being creative. I am currently earning my living through art, although I must say this is possible as I put up with my sister. I am aware that without her assistance to keep me it would really be very hard to live on art alone,” he explained.

Despite the effort that Mbale puts to survive on art, he has been subjected to abuse by some unscrupulous people. Some people have abused him by milking his hard earned money.

“It is sad to tell you that art is a very rewarding business but for me it has not. I have been engaged in drawing several drawings to which the contractors pay me very little under the guise that it’s a small project and that the customer will give me a bigger job after. When I make a follow-up to where they are submitting the drawings I find that the contractors have been paid millions,” he lamented.

But the artist remains undeterred and optimistic.

“I would wish if I could manage to secure a small contract that could earn me K2 million and that will really change my life and that of my fellow peers who are deaf and dumb as most of them are jobless and poor after finishing their school.

“Others are beggars in town and deaf girls do not know what they are doing as they engage in promiscuous behaviour which may lead to them in contracting HIV. Others are having children without even knowing the fathers. With the same money, I also plan to form an organisation to supporting the development and learn of skills, sign language, improving English, sports and business. I love to help my fellow peers to keep their life or do their own business,” he explained.

Born in 1963 on August 18, Mbale comes from Misuku Village in Chitipa.

The second born in a family of initially 4 boys and girls, the name Pamuyu has an interesting meaning.

“I am the second born in the family and I was born after the first died still a baby. This is the reason why my parents gave me the name Pamuyu. It means ‘may be this one will live’. This is Ndali language spoken by people within Misuku. I have a daughter currently studying at Grey Matter for an accountancy qualification,” he said.